Friday, September 26, 2003
Bush's America
Nearly 1.7 million people fell into poverty last year, ticking the official poverty rate up to 12.1 percent from the 2001 rate of 11.7 percent, the second straight year that poverty has increased in the United States, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.
The annual report, which also showed a decline in median household income, comes at a politically charged time, when President Bush's approval ratings have hit the lowest levels of his term and Democratic presidential candidates have focused their criticism of Bush on his economic stewardship.
Moreover, the poverty increases were particularly concentrated last year in politically sensitive populations: African Americans, suburban residents and Midwesterners. Poverty levels rose precisely in many of the states that are likely to determine the next president: Arkansas, Florida, Illinois and Michigan, as well as Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah.
The numbers.
posted by chris at 1:36 PM
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